High school football main event for towns in area

Frank Cricchio sees many of the same faces in his deli every week, regular customers, who come in for a sandwich, a cup of coffee or lottery tickets.

Justin Rodriguez

Frank Cricchio sees many of the same faces in his deli every week, regular customers, who come in for a sandwich, a cup of coffee or lottery tickets.

But there is always something different about Friday. There is excitement and anticipation. It's unmistakable – Cricchio feels it from behind the counter in his deli, Frank's Village Market & Deli in Marlboro.

Friday means only one thing – Friday night football at Marlboro High under white-hot lights.

"It doesn't matter if you are a little kid or 75 years old," said Cricchio, who played football at Marlboro in the mid-1970s and has owned his deli for 26 years. "You know, with the economy, the whole country is in dire straits. But a game on Friday night lifts up the community. It's unbelievable. Everyone can't wait until Friday night."

This is the power of schoolboy football – it brings communities together like no other sport. It's the show, the main event, a talking point at diners, bars and dining rooms. The buildup to game night is palpable every week.

And it's about to start all over again – are you ready for some Section 9 football? The 2011 season kicks off on Friday with teams from Kingston to Eldred looking to making a run at a title, looking to make the school, town and community proud.

This might not be some football hotbed in Texas or California, churning out blue-chip prospects who go on to play at big-time colleges and in the NFL. But this game still matters in the mid-Hudson.

For some players, this is the moment they've dreamed of their entire lives.

As a kid growing up, Wallkill quarterback Eric Wellmon idolized his older brother, Kyle. That's what most little brothers do. However, Eric revered Kyle and his friends even more because of what they did every Friday night.

Under bright lights, in front of seemingly the entire town, Kyle and his pals – the Class of 2006, the same guys Eric tried tagging along with all week – played football. Flying around the field, making hits, they looked fearless. To Eric and many of his friends who watched the games intently from the bleachers, it was like watching pros play.

"In all honesty, since the movie Captain America just came out, they were superheroes to me," said Wellmon, now a senior. "I was hooked. I wanted to be like my brother and his friends."

In Port Jervis, football is the No. 1 game in town – no matter if it's April or September. However, Michael McCarthy always knows when the season is approaching. There are more people in the diners, in the streets, fixated on what type of product will be rolled out on Glennette Field.

"You want to know how important football is in Port Jervis?" said Michael McCarthy, who played for the Red Raiders in 1950-51. "When I coached Pop Warner here, it was the moms pushing the kids to play football, more than the fathers. This is a blue-collar town. We've had good times and bad times. Life is like football. You have to come together and work through it."

At age 79, Joe Pagano, a former Port Jervis star running back, still cuts hair part time in the small barbershop built on the back of his house in Port Jervis' West End. Everyone in his chair talks about the same thing.

Port Jervis football.

How will they look this season? Can they come back from last year's 1-8 disappointment? There is always chatter.

Forget about the Jets or Giants. Port has the Red Raiders.

"Football is No. 1 in Port – period," Pagano said. "It's an honor to play. It means a lot to us because we all played. I hope the new regime can bring back the success of the old days. We all will be watching."

For Wallkill coach Brian Vegliando, this game – his team – is a source of pride. He's touched by the memories of seeing Wellmon and his friends at Wallkill games years ago in their youth football jerseys, playing touch football on the field adjacent to the varsity showdown of the week. Now another crop of young players will crowd Robinson Field to see Wellmon scurry out of the pocket for first downs.

It's a snapshot seen across Section 9 on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.

"The game is a draw in itself. I think there is something to be said about playing just once a week," Vegliando said. "It's the focal point, the place to be at 7 o'clock every Friday. It's like a throwback place to be. The environment is great – it's rewarding and gives you a sense of purpose. You owe the community a good product."

Usually, as the air gets a bit chillier, the games take on more meaning. There are the rivalry games, the games with playoff implications and, finally, the championship games.

Dietz Stadium in Kingston has hosted Section 9 playoff football games since 1992. Along the way, Xenakis Loizou, a co-owner of Dietz Diner across the street from the facility, has made some friends. He often sees the same faces every year with Monroe-Woodbury, Newburgh and New Paltz jackets on, coming into the diner for a hot cup of coffee for the game or a comfort meal before kickoff.

"It certainly helps the bottom line of your business," Loizou said. "But I just enjoy the people who come in. I look forward to that. You can tell they are really happy to be going to a game. You know they are going to enjoy themselves. People love when it's high school football season."

jrodriguez@th-record.com

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